Tullydega
by suzie2b
Summary: Think of a bored Hitch and wheelchairs.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **Author's note: Yeah, I know. Bad Pun. But after the day I had yesterday I needed to write something silly.**

 **Tullydega**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **The Rat Patrol was at the base at Tiberias. Hitch had taken a bullet in his right leg during their last mission. The bullet wound itself wasn't too bad, but it had broken his tibia. He'd been in a bed at the hospital for three days and was getting bored.**

 **Then Tully walked in with a grin and a wheelchair. When he stopped next to Hitch's bunk, his friend and fellow private looked at the wheelchair, then up at Tully, who asked, "Wanna get outta here for a while?"**

 **Hitch put the magazine he'd been looking at aside with a smiled and nodded. "You bet!"**

 **Tully helped him get dressed and into the wheelchair, then pushed him out into the noontime air. "Thought we could have some lunch first."**

 **Hitch asked curiously, "First? What else do you have in mind?"**

" **You'll see."**

 **###############################**

 **After lunch and some small-talk, Tully pushed Hitch through town to the motor pool.**

 **Hitch shook his head. "I don't think sarge or the doctor is going to like me going off base with a bullet wound and broken leg."**

 **Tully chuckled. "We're not going anywhere."**

 **At the other side of the motor pool they came to a space where a track of sorts had been set up between rows of vehicles. Hitch smiled. "What in the heck…"**

" **When I was a kid and laid up in the hospital with a broken leg, I remember the kid in the next bed over … I think his name was Billy. Anyway, he also had a broken leg. Well, we got bored and got our hands of a couple of wheelchairs. We raced them up and down the hospital corridors until the nurses finally chased us down and made us stop."**

" **Wheelchair racing?"**

 **Tully stepped away and produced another wheelchair from behind a staff car. He stopped next to Hitch with it and sat down. "Yep. The guys in the motor pool set up this here track for us."**

 **Hitch looked at the guys who were gathering around to watch. He grinned with a nod and said, "Okay, wheelchair races it is."**

 **Someone had a red rag to use as a flag. Hitch and Tully got themselves to the start/finish line as Tully said, "Just go down, circle the oil drum, and come back here."**

" **I am so going to beat you."**

 **Tully grinned. "Think so, huh?"**

 **The guy with the flag called out, "Ready! Steady!" Pause for effect. "Go!"**

 **The flag dropped and Hitch and Tully propelled themselves forward with the crowd urging them on loudly. They were neck and neck all the way to the oil drum … but getting around it was a different thing entirely.**

 **Hitch sideswiped Tully as they turned and nearly knocked him over. Tully promptly gave the offending wheelchair a shove from behind with one foot. That caused Hitch to lose control and careen straight toward a jeep as he shouted, "No fair!"**

 **Tully laughed as he swung his wheelchair around and started off again while Hitch managed to not hit the jeep before getting himself going in the right direction. As they both closed in on the finish line they were side-by-side, but Tully had a slight lead as Hitch tried to push him out of the way. The whole time they were laughing like schoolboys.**

 **It wasn't until they'd crossed the finish line, that they noticed that everyone had gone silent. They looked up as Sergeants Troy and Moffitt stepped out of the crowd. The privates' eyes grew wide while Tully quickly stood up and said, "I can explain, sarge."**

 **Moffitt looked on with amusement as Troy looked from Hitch to Tully with raised eyebrows and said, "I certainly hope so."**

 **Tully swallowed nervously. "Well, ya see, I know what it's like to be laid up like Hitch's been. The doctor said I could take him out for some fresh air as long as he uses a wheelchair … so … um … here we are."**

 **Troy put his hands on his hips and shook his head with a sigh as Moffitt smiled and said, "You both could have broken your necks."**

 **Hitch tried to look innocent as he said, "We had everything under control the whole time."**

 **Troy looked at his men. "With all the yelling Moffitt and I thought we were coming to break up a fight." He finally smiled. "Instead we find you two happily making fools of yourselves."**

 **Moffitt said, "You know, Troy, before I came to North Africa I went to visit a friend in a hospital in England. I bested him two out of three times before the nurses took our wheelchairs away."**

 **Troy looked at his fellow sergeant. "Best two out of three, huh?" Moffitt grinned as he nodded. Troy sat down in the wheelchair that Tully had vacated and said with a smile, "Prove it."**

 **Moffitt helped Tully get Hitch up and to a place where he could sit down. Then the two sergeants wheeled themselves to the start/finish line. When the flag dropped Troy and Moffitt took off with the crowd cheering them on as loud as ever.**


End file.
